Adding Adults to flock...should I?

[Mrs. K]

You have 2 adult hens, hometown advantage. You are getting a couple of more younger birds, younger, but more of them.

DO NOT TAKE ANYTHING you feel sorry for, but if they look healthy, they are probably healthy, as Ridgerunner points out, they have been in quarantine, so while there is a risk, I would jump on it. I would take what would fit in my set up.

I would let the two older girls outside of the run/coop, put the new girls in the coop/run, and let them get comfortable with it. Then just before dark, let the old girls in. I would expect them to maybe have a scuffle or two, but nothing to much. Let them all go to roost.

Do it when you can be around, sometimes, it is a train wreck, but most of the time, if you have enough space, multiple feed stations a couple hideouts, it really is not a problem.

Mrs K

 

[AmeliaRB]

Where are you located in the world? You can include that general information in your profile so it displays under your stats.

You didn't mention how large your coop is. Can you provide it's dimensions in feet x feet? Pictures of your coop and run would be very helpful.

Here is a link to how I integrated 3 pullets in with an existing flock of 9 birds:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/well-dang-that-was-easy.1281000/

Integrating in the cold weather can be difficult, but 'cold' is a relative term. I would not want to deal with 2 coops in the dead of our winter where we are frequently in single or below zero night time temperatures and everything is frozen.

Quarantine is also important. Do you have a garage you could use to quarantine the new birds? Or some other place you can keep them away from your existing 2 for 3 to 4 weeks before you start the 'look don't touch' phase of the integration? I didn't really have that capability as you can read in my post so I did a pseudo quarantine but everything worked out fine.

Integrating new birds can involve a fair amount of work but if you are up to it, it can certainly be rewarding. I enjoyed it.

My coop: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/tractor-supply-walk-in-annex-2-chicken-coop?cm_vc=-10005

 

[DobieLover]

I’m in West Texas. The temps range from 50’s -high 60’s most of the time. It does get into freezing temps at night. My coop is smallish. I think 3-4 birds would roost comfortably but no more than that. It would be easy to add another roosting bar and laying box. I’d say the sleeping area is 3 x 3. Maybe a tad larger. Wish I had bigger but it is what it is.

I think with such a small coop you will have serious behavioral problems if you try to add more birds. You really need a bigger coop to do this.
Space becomes a major issue when you are introducing new birds to your existing "flock".

 

[Mrs. K]

Ok, I agree ^^poster, that is a very small coop/run set up. It will make integration much more difficult.

Funny, that when we give advice, I mentally give the op, a set up that is similar to my own. Space is a crucial issue when dealing with chickens.

 

[AmeliaRB]

Ok, I agree ^^poster, that is a very small coop/run set up. It will make integration much more difficult.

Funny, that when we give advice, I mentally give the op, a set up that is similar to my own. Space is a crucial issue when dealing with chickens.

I absolutely won’t argue with your opinion. I do wonder why the coop I have says up to 8 chickens. I always thought that was a high number. I started with 4 and after about a year and a half there was a behavior problem that prompted me to get rid of the aggressor. I feel my run is fairly big?

 

[Mrs. K]

If that is the only run you have, the one attached to the coop, then it is not considered fairly big. Measure it, for 4 full size hens, you should have at least 40 square feet so, 4 x 10, or 8 x 5, I don't think (pictures can be misleading) that your run is more than a 4 x 5 or 4 x 6. 3 really is the max I would put into that set up, and two probably fits better.

A lot of problems happen when chicks grow up, what was enough space when they were small, is NOT enough space when they get full size. Some birds do tolerate it better than others, but that is a pretty small set up.

Those pre-fab setups, always say they can hold more birds than they can. If you really want more birds, you might consider bantams... they are smaller, but lay smaller eggs.

Mrs K

 

[AmeliaRB]

If that is the only run you have, the one attached to the coop, then it is not considered fairly big. Measure it, for 4 full size hens, you should have at least 40 square feet so, 4 x 10, or 8 x 5, I don't think (pictures can be misleading) that your run is more than a 4 x 5 or 4 x 6. 3 really is the max I would put into that set up, and two probably fits better.

A lot of problems happen when chicks grow up, what was enough space when they were small, is NOT enough space when they get full size. Some birds do tolerate it better than others, but that is a pretty small set up.

Those pre-fab setups, always say they can hold more birds than they can. If you really want more birds, you might consider bantams... they are smaller, but lay smaller eggs.

Mrs K

My coop is in a large run. Husband says it’s 12x18.

 

[Mrs. K]

oh, ok, I was going by the picture. Is that a picture of your coop?
Run wise, you have plenty of room. But you really can't cheat of coop space because you have a bigger run, especially in the winter, well maybe you can, if you are in Texas. Right now, mine are on the roost before 4:00 and not coming off till around 7:30. A long time to be in too tight quarters.

I would be so tempted in your shoes to get those birds. Just an idea, if that is a picture of your coop, it would be a wonderful extra coop. But sometimes you can find sheds on sale or for sale on craigslist that one can get pretty reasonably. A lick of paint and they can be quite nice for a larger flock. Just an idea.

Mrs K

 

[Ridgerunner]

They haven’t laid after going through a fairly heavy molt and it’s cold...so Indont know if they will lay again.

They will lay again after they start back up and probably lay about as well as the previous season. The following year after the next molt (2020) you will probably notice a drop in production, maybe or maybe not a big drop, but if they will be only two years old soon they should lay pretty well this following season and may not be that bad the next.


I don’t know what “flick immunity” is.

Sometimes a flock will be exposed to a disease or parasite and develop and immunity to it instead of becoming sick. Coccidiosis is a good example but there can be others. With Coccidiosis the chickens will develop an immunity to the bug that causes it after they are exposed to it for two to three weeks. If the numbers of that bug don't get too high while they are developing that immunity you will never know it from their actions, they will not get sick. After they gain that immunity they are immune. But they will have it and can pass it on to any other chicken they come into contact with that does not have that immunity.

That's flock immunity. It could be your current flock or it could be the new chickens that have it. No matter how long you quarantine the chickens it is highly unlikely you will see any effects from that since they have that immunity. Quarantine is an effective tool and I highly recommend it for chickens coming from chicken auctions, chicken swaps, or flocks that have had new birds added in the last couple of months. It can still be beneficial for other birds but is less likely to be totally effective.

Anytime you get new birds I think it is a good idea to check them for mites and lice before you mix them with your flock.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Looking at the specs for that coop the run portion is roughly 4' x 6' so the coop section is probably 3' x 4' at most. That's likely outside to outside measurements, not clear space. I suspect 3' x 3' might be closer from watching the video but I'm not sure how big those nests are. If you watch the video they put three nests interior, not hanging off the side like these pre-fab coops normally have. I did not see an interior shot so I'm not sure how the nests and roosts are arranged, especially height-wise, but the insides have to be crowded.

You are in West Texas. While most of the time the weather isn't that cold you can get below zero F occasionally. Thy don't mind the old that much but they really hate a cold wind. There will be times they are stuck in that small coop section. I don't like to give hard and fast numbers, the different personalities of the individual chickens can have a big effect. You said that is sitting in a much larger run. Normally I'd think if you left that door between the small coop section and that 4x6 area open any time they are awake you should be OK with 3 hens, maybe 4 if they really get along well, and if they are fully integrated. Those interior nests could be an issue, not sure how they are arranged. Those nests bother me in that small coop, maybe more than they should. Was your aggressor problems with four hens during bad weather?

When you integrate you need more space. You can help with that by providing a separate place for the new ones to sleep until they get integrated but space is a real problem when you integrate. It's not a mater of square feet per bird but can they get away from each other and stay away. A lot of people integrate with limited space but we have tricks that help with that. That is another discussion.

About everyone that manufactures prefab coops say they will hold twice what we would use. They use commercial poultry industry standards. The commercial industry uses hybrid egg layers that are bred to be able to handle tight spaces. They still have to use special management techniques to keep them from harming each other, managing lights and food for example or even going so far as to trim their upper beaks so they can't eat each other. Managing the poop of chickens packed that tightly becomes a big issue. They keep their birds in climate controlled areas, not where they can got out in the weather. We don't manage out chickens that way so the commercial spacing numbers don't work for us. For some of us half the number they claim is pushing it.